It's Not the Heat, It's the Stupidity: Analysis Finds
Bad Policies, Not Global Warming, to Blame for Tropical Diseases

A Brief Analysis issued by the Dallas, Texas-based National Center
for Policy Analysis finds that the spread of such tropical diseases as
malaria, cholera and dengue fever has more to do with bad government policies
than global warming. The Brief Analysis, "Sick Argument: Global
Warming and the Spread of Tropical Diseases," notes that Peru had
been cholera-free for decades until 1991, when Peruvian officials took
the advice of the U.S. EPA and ended water chlorination. More than 300
000 Peruvians contracted cholera the following year. The paper
also notes that malaria was fairly widespread in the United States
earlier this century when the temperatures were presumably cooler, with
more than 120 000 cases in 1934. For more, contact Sterling Burnett at
The National Center for Policy Analysis at 972/386-6272 or visit
their website at www.ncpa.org.

The Myth of Scientific Consensus on Global Warming

Forget what you've read in the press or watched on television:
There is no scientific consensus on global warming. A survey
of over 400 German, American and Canadian climate researchers conducted
by Dennis Bray of the Meteorologisches Institut der Unversitat Hamburg
and Hans von Storch of GKSS Forschungszentrum found that 67 per cent of
the researchers either disagreed or were uncertain about the proposition
that climate change will occur so suddenly that a lack of preparation
would devastate certain parts of the world -- the underlying assumption
of the Kyoto treaty.

Close to half of the researchers -- 48 per cent -- indicated that
they don't have faith in the forecasts of global climate models.
For more information, obtain a copy of National Policy Analysis
paper No. 177 by calling Mike Quickel at The National Center for Public
Policy Research, 202/543-1286, or by visiting the website at www.nationalcenter.org.

Because you know the courts are for protecting consumers

A federal district court permitted the Department of Agriculture
to implement the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact, which was "specifically
designed to artificially raise the price of milk by creating a cartel"
in the New England states to increase regional prices above federal
levels. The compact boosts the minimum price for milk by 26 cents per
gallon and hurts farmers, as well as consumers, who now must pay a "tariff"
to sell their milk across state lines.

How about hogging the remote control?

A handout distributed by the Iowa Domestic Abuse Hotline claims
that "about one half of all women in Iowa have had domestic violence
happen to them at some time in their lives." This alarming figure
is based on a definition of domestic violence that includes such actions
as "threatening to harm himself" and "controlling all the
money, not allowing you to work, not allowing you to associate with certain
people."

David Kelley to defend greed on ABC

David Kelley, Executive Director of the Institute for Objectivist
Studies, will appear on an ABC special on February 3, 1998 at 10:00pm
EST to defend greed.

Hosted by John Stossel, Kelley will refute Ted Turner's claim that philanthropy
is morally superior to profit-seeking, will show why Michael Milken did
more good then Mother Teresa, and he will explain why trade is not a zero-sum
game with winners and losers.

Lawsuit Settlement Rings Teachers' Union's Bell; California
Teachers Association Must Repay $200 a Year to Resigning Members for Dues
Spent on Politics

The California Teachers Association (CTA), the state's largest teachers'
labor union, can no longer prevent members from resigning from the union
or requesting a refund of the portion of their mandatory dues spent for
political purposes under the settlement terms of a class-action lawsuit.

"California's teacher union officials have feared this moment for
decades: a time when teachers can free themselves from the union's grasp
without obstruction," said Stefan Gleason of the National Right to
Work Legal Defense Foundation, the organization that filed the lawsuit.

Teacher Judith Apple of San Diego tried to resign from the union because
she disagreed with its political activities, but was told she would have
to continue as a full member and pay full dues until her affiliate's bargaining
contract expired in July of 1998. With foundation assistance, Apple filed
suit in November of 1996, charging her compulsory union membership violated
the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

The settlement eliminates compulsory membership requirements from contracts,
accepts all current and past resignation requests and mandates the rebate
of all dues money not spent on collective bargaining, contract negotiation
and grievances to all members who request it. Refunds are expected to
total approximately $200 a year. The settlement affects all 250 000 CTA
members.

"Teacher union officials diverted over 95% of teacher's compulsory
union dues spent on politics into subsidizing the partisan interests of
a single, narrow ideological group," said Gleason. "But now
with this federal court settlement California's educators can no longer
be forced along for the ride."

RCMP exam re-written for minorities

The Toronto Star reported in January that a report on
federal employment equity ordered the RCMP entrance exam be rewritten
after some aboriginals and other visible minorities scored slightly lower
than other potential recruits, says

"Aboriginal applicants to the RCMP tend to have significantly
less formal education than applicants from other groups," the report
said. "For some visible minorities there are also likely second-language
issues in addition to educational ones."

The difference in scores on the entrance exam was "not of
a great magnitude," but the report cited concerns over subtests involving
written composition, logic and computation.

Work on a revised entrance exam was in "the very early stages,"
said the report, which covered 1996.

"We have to try to design tests that meet the requirements
of the kind of people we're looking for," said Sergeant Mike Gaudet,
an RCMP spokesperson in Ottawa. "We want to make sure there are no
systemic barriers."

Parents in two tiny Acadian communities say their children run
and hide at the sight of a Mountie and they want the New Brunswick government
to find out why.

A group of parents from the northeastern New Brunswick villages
of Saint-Sauveur and Saint-Simon were in Fredericton on January 12 asking
questions about an RCMP decision to use tear gas last year during a protest
over threatened school closures.

The parents want a public inquiry into what they regard as excessive
use of police force to silence a group of Canadians protesting a government
decision.

The RCMP responded to the school demonstrations last May with baton-wielding
tactical squads who lobbed tear gas grenades to disperse the men, women
and children.

To date, they have never received an apology and the government
has refused to hold an inquiry.

U.S. Supreme court says lying can get you fired

Government agencies can punish employees who lie while being investigated
for employment-related misconduct, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously
January 21.

The court overturned rulings in five separate cases that had barred federal
agencies from stiffening the disciplinary action taken against wayward
employees based on false statements they made when questioned about their
misconduct.

Although the decision dealt with federal employees, its rationale appeared
to affect state and local government employees as well. Chief Justice
William H. Rehnquist wrote for the court that nothing in the Constitution
nor any federal law bars such punishment.

"A citizen may decline to answer the question, or answer it honestly,
but he cannot with impunity knowingly and willfully answer with a falsehood,"
Rehnquist said.

When the cases were argued in December, Rehnquist had observed from the
bench that the bottom line seemed simple. "The moral of this is don't
lie," the chief justice had suggested.

Rehnquist said federal employees who fear they may expose themselves to
criminal prosecution if they answer questions about their work-related
conduct can exercise their Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.

But agencies are free, when it comes to dishing out noncriminal
discipline, to take such silence into consideration, he said.

In each of the five cases, the federal Merit Systems Protection Board
and a federal appeals court disallowed extra punishment based on an employee's
false statements. Punishments were reduced in each after false-statement
sanctions were disallowed.

Presumably, the respective agencies now will be able to reinstate the
harsher punishments.

Proving conservatives can be good statists too...

Ontario high school students will have to put in at least 40 hours
of volunteer work over four years to graduate under new curriculum guidelines
unveiled in early January.

"Through community involvement, students will experience first hand
how everyone can make a contribution to their community," a government
source said.

In addition to putting more emphasis on math, science and languages, the
new curriculum will require students in grades 9 through 12 to take a
civics course and do volunteer work in the community as part of a plan
for "promoting responsible citizenship," the source said.

"Forty hours over four years - that's an average of 10 hours a year
- is not onerous," the source said.

Under the plan, volunteer work can be at an organization such as the United
Way or in a less formal setting like tutoring children in the neighbourhood
or visiting lonely shut-ins.

Exactly what type of work qualifies will be decided at the local level
and with some discretion from the school principal. There will be "an
honour check-up system," to ensure the volunteering is done.

Teachers will not have to monitor the program or find the volunteer work
for the students.

The education ministry will work with school boards and other groups to
suggest how students in remote and rural communities as well as those
with special needs can get the opportunity to volunteer.

"In rural areas, the opportunities might be less than they are in
highly organized urban areas where there's a volunteer group on every
corner," the source said. "The program will be flexible so that
all students will be able to find ways to participate.

"There will be a clear process and clear expectations for how students
will report on their activities."

Start a rebellion...murder someone...becoming a founding
father

Two Liberal MPs, one from Quebec and the other from Manitoba,
say they will push a bill to exonerate Louis Riel if the government doesn't
move quickly to clear the Metis leader's name.

Winnipeg South MP Reg Alcock says he will join Bourassa MP Denis Coderre
in a private member's bill they expect would likely pass a House of Commons
vote.

Similar legislation proposed by Bloc Quebecois MP Suzanne Tremblay was
defeated 112-103 in December 1996. Many Liberals voted against it or absented
themselves because it was being advanced by a separatist.

Riel was hanged for treason in Regina in 1885 after the Northwest Rebellion.
He is a controversial figure whose actions have long divided French and
English Canada.

Critics of the move to exonerate Riel say he was delusional near the end
of his life. Riel claimed he was in regular contact with God and the Virgin
Mary.

In its statement of reconciliation to Aboriginal Peoples in January, the
government referred to the "sad events culminating in the death"
of Riel.

It also promised to find a way to recognize his "proper place in
Canada's history." Many consider Riel the founder of Manitoba and
a Father of Confederation.

Ralph Goodale, the federal minister responsible for the Metis, is working
on a bill that would deal with Riel's execution and would recognize him
as a founder of Manitoba. He has a core group of cabinet supporters, led
by Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy and Secretary of State Ron
Duhamel, who will help push the bill.

But Alcock and Coderre said they are skeptical that the government would
act quickly to pass the bill.

Under the creepy category of "A Real Bad Idea Which
Reminds Us Of Another Purity Campaign"

Rabbi Nachum Eisenstein thinks he'll soon be able to answer the
perennial question, "Who is a Jew?"

After years of debate about who belongs to the biblical Chosen People,
Eisenstein has started choosing which Jews qualify for a new master list.
The Committee for Jewish Lineage is compiling a computerized registry
of the world's estimated 10 million Jews to ensure the "purity of
the Jewish community."

Only genealogically genuine Jews need apply. According to Eisenstein,
that means people whose Jewish roots can be proven beyond a reasonable
doubt.

"We hope they will be proud of the fact that we want to give
them, like, a membership card, that you're full-fledged members in the
Jewish nation," Eisenstein said.

Against a bitter political backdrop which has seen Israel struggle
with recognizing of non-Orthodox Jews, Eisenstein's Jewish lineage committee
is anxious to give its stamp of approval to Jews with the right family
background. After years of researching Jewish genealogy, Eisenstein is
confident he can weed out wannabe Jews, reducing the risks of intermarriage
and the specter of assimilation.

Against that bitter political backdrop, Eisenstein's Jewish lineage
committee is anxious to give its stamp of approval to Jews with the right
family background. After years of researching Jewish genealogy, Eisenstein
is confident he can weed out wannabe Jews, reducing the risks of intermarriage
and the specter of assimilation.

California's Campaign Reform Initiative Goes National

Mark Bucher, one of three authors of California's Campaign Reform Initiative,
which is scheduled to be on California's June ballot, described the initiative
and it's political value to conservatives. The CRI would 1) prohibit
foreign contributions to state and local campaigns, 2) require employers
to gain annual written permission from each employee before making payroll
deductions for political purposes at the state and local level and 3)
require labor unions to receive annual written permission from each member
before using mandatory dues for state and local political activity.
It is the last provision that is expected to be helpful to conservatives.
As Bucher says, "The other side exists primarily through compulsion.
If you took away federal funding, their mandatory student fees (thanks
to Ralph Nader's operation) and their mandatory union dues, they wouldn't
have a leg to stand on in terms of issues... Most of what they stand for,
the American public doesn't stand for."

Bucher also discussed a national version of the CRI, HR 1625, which the
U.S. Congress is expected to vote on this summer, poll data showing overwhelming
support for CRI, and CRI-like initiatives in states other than California.

Clinton Scandal Shows "Naked Abuse of Power,"
Says Project 21

The African-American leadership group Project 21 says allegations of perjury
and an affair with an intern by President Clinton is a critical blow to
the President in terms of trust and character.

"This recent situation with the President takes on a very
serious tone because this time the actions that are being alleged took
place in the White House and supposedly involved Vernon Jordan,"
says Stuart Pigler, aide to Michigan State Representative Dick Posthumus
and Project 21 member. "Surely, the American people will see
that character flaws such as these can effect sound judgement when conducting
the affairs of the country and creating policy. There's no avoiding
the word at this point."

"Every allegation that has been brought against the President by
alleged paramours, business partners and critics involves misuse of the
public trust for private gain. I just think it's a naked abuse of
power," added Washington policy analyst Kevin Pritchett.

Despite DOJ jihad and bad press -- Americans still like
Microsoft

Despite a jihad by the Department of Justice against Microsoft
and bad press concerning their actions against it, Americans still have
positive feelings about the company.

A survey conducted by CNN and Time magazine asked 1 020 Americans, with
648 computer users among them, their opinions of Microsoft's role in the
computer industry.

Of the 648 computer users, 60 per cent believed that the government should
not place restrictions on Microsoft so its competitors can "compete."
Among the 1 020, 51 per cent adopted that position.

Americans also liked Bill Gates, the survey found. 52 per cent of PC users
and 42 per cent of all Americans had a favourable opinion of Gates, compared
to 31 per cent in a 1995 survey.

The survey was conducted on Jan. 14 and 15 and results reflect a possible
sampling error of +/- 4 percentage points.

A pleasant surprise at the University of California at
Berkeley

Berkeley has been known for a lot of things, but a love of Ayn
Rand isn't usually one of them.

According to a recent informal poll among freshman students, the
individualist author's The Fountainhead was named the post popular
book. In contrast, Alice Walker's The Color Purple was the most
popular book in 1987.

Rand made the top ten both years and the novel made the top five
in both years, a feat only match by J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the
Rye.

"I think there's something in her books very appealing to
students who are just forming their ideas about the world," said
Steve Tollefson, a lecturer and faculty development coordinator who has
been teaching freshman writing at UC for 25 years. "My only solace
is that I think they get smarter here at Berkeley and outgrow her."

Or perhaps they already grew smarter Mr. Tollefson.

Ice storm the fault of humans, says Greenpeace

Though facing a gradual decline in its numbers, and an increasing
lack of relevancy among the public, Greenpeace still manages to come up
with some good copy.

According to a Greenpeace report released in the last days of January,
Quebecers should reduce their contributions to climate changes, the cause
of last month's ice storm. The environmental group also suggested Quebecers
should wean themselves off their current centralized electrical energy
source and opt for safer alternatives, like solar power.

The report attempts to establish a link between climate changes on a global
scale and the ice storm that left three million Quebecers in the dark.

"The big ice storm of the beginning of 1998 cannot simply be considered
a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon," the report states.

"It could be a terrible glimpse of what the future holds for us if
we don't put a stop to our worldwide dependence on gas and other fossil
fuels."

Climate changes caused by global warming could increase the frequency
and severity of El Nino, which could then trigger increasingly extreme
weather in eastern North America, it said.

Dems block renaming of Washington Airport after Reagan

GOP attempts to rename Washington National Airport after former
President Ronald Reagan have run into roadblocks by congressional Democrats,
who note the area's second biggest building already sports Reagan's name.

Republicans were hoping to pass a bill making the change by Reagan's birthday
February 6, but Democrats used parliamentary tactics January 29 to block
further consideration of the bill. The stalling strategy came after GOP
lawmakers balked at a Democratic proposal to rename the Justice Department
after the late Robert F. Kennedy.

"This is the definition of pettiness," said Sen. Paul Coverdell,
R-Ga., the bill's sponsor. "Today a cynical attack was launched against
a great national leader. Ronald Reagan has given so much to America, and
it is shameful that every member of the Congress cannot join in granting
him this small, well deserved honor."

Democrats said politics had nothing to do with their concerns.
They eventually dropped their request to rename the Justice Department,
but complained that Republicans were refusing to consider any changes
to the bill.

"There are a number of Democratic senators who want the opportunity
to have a right to offer perhaps more than one amendment," Democratic
Leader Tom Daschle said. "There are a lot of very legitimate questions.
... So I don't think it would be in our best interests to proceed today."

"People have raised the question of whether it is appropriate
to take the name of Washington off the name of this particular airport,"
he said. "There is some question as well about whether the Reagan
family even wants this to be done," he said.

Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., countered that renaming the
airport in honor of Reagan would do no disservice to the nation's first
president.

"Washington National Airport was not named after George Washington.
It was named after the District of Columbia," he said.

President's Road Ban Violates Laws

At the end of January, the Clinton Administration placed a two-year
moratorium on building new roads in the National Forest system for low
road density areas of 1,000 acres or more. The moratorium would
make these areas de facto wilderness areas in violation of the 1984 Wilderness
Act which specifies that any federal lands not specifically designated
wilderness areas must be managed for multiple uses. It would also bypass
both the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Forest
Management Act.

For its part, the Clinton Administration argues that the moratorium
is necessary to, among other things, upgrade existing roads, "aggressively
decommission old, unneeded...and unauthorized 'ghost roads,'" and
to identify sustainable funding sources for maintaining the forest road
system. Critics, however, believe the Administration's real motivation
is to bring federal policy one step closer to banning timber harvests
and other activities in National Forests. As a result, a new coalition
of some 70 multiple-use and property rights groups, Communities
for Forest Access, has been formed to fight the designation. To join the
coalition or further information call Chuck Cushman at 360/687-3087. Information
on the moratorium can also be obtained from the Oregon Lands Coalition
at 503/363-8582.

Monica Lewinsky Helps Democrat Fundraising

Controversy sparked by alleged presidential mistress Monica Lewinsky
appeared to be having a positive effect on Democratic National Committee
(DNC) fundraising. According to an AP report on the party's telemarketing,
"[DNC] Chairman Steve Grossman said the average pledge rate was $28.35
the day before the allegations were made public [January 20], and it dropped
to $25.13 two days later. The average pledge had jumped to $30.21
on January 27." This was the highest single day since
the campaign began in mid-January. The Republican National Committee
reports no change in the rates of return on their fundraising.